Studies in Spirituality 25, 1-19. doi: 10.2143/SIS.25.0.3112886 © 2015 by Studies in Spirituality. All rights reserved. ROSSANO ZAS FRIZ DE COL LATIN-EUROPEAN SCHOLARSHIP IN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY (1954-2013) SUMMARY – The relation between scholars from the Spanish and Italian speaking world (Latin-Europe) and those from the Anglophone context concerns Christian spirituality, presenting difficulties due both to linguis- tic differences and to methodological perspectives. This article seeks to reduce at least the first of these differences, by introducing to the Anglo- phone public the scholarly production of Latin-Europe from the close of Vatican II to 2013. In 2011, Spiritus dedicated its spring issue to ‘European Spirituality’. Its editor, Douglas Burton-Christie, asserted in his presentation that it is no longer possi- ble – as was natural until recently – to identify Europe with a Christian spiritu- ality. This is not only because of the growing presence of other Christian denominations, which were previously in the minority, and other religions, which were practically non-existent until a few decades ago, but is also due to an ever-widening, secularized view of existence. It is precisely this ongoing change that intrigues Burton-Christie and, given that the journal he edits is published in the United States, it raises the question ‘what does it mean to think about Christian spirituality in the European context today’?1 Certainly, he does not think that a single issue can exhaust the understanding of Euro-spirituality. Rather he sees it as a first step to be followed up with deeper study and exchange of opinion. This article is intended to participate in that dialogue. Inspired by Philip Sheldrake’s presentation of European spirituality, which focuses on work produced in the English-speaking world, this article seeks to present the Latin-European context. It is represented mainly by work in Italian and Spanish but also keeps French as well as Latin American (written both Spanish and Portuguese), scholarship in mind.2 1 Douglas Burton-Christie, ‘Europe’, in: Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality 11 (2011) no.1, ix-x, here x. 2 The topic matter of this article was part of my presentation at the conference organized by the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality of the Pontifical University Antonianum in celebration of the 40th anniversary of its foundation. The article was later published as ‘Identità e missione della teologia spirituale. Bilancio e prospettiva dal Vaticano II ad oggi’ in: Paolo Martinelli (Ed.), 98401.indb 1 1/12/15 15:01 2 ROSSANO ZAS FRIZ DE COL The first and, perhaps, most widespread and popular difference between how the discipline is seen in English-speaking European and North American circles and in Latin-European circles regards its title: is it ‘Spiritual theology’ or ‘Spirituality’? At first glance, and considering the tradition developed by the discipline in the two different contexts, one might think that the difference it points to persists even today. Undoubtedly, the lack of communication between the two sides, due primarily to linguistic reasons, contributes to maintaining this prejudice. The aim of this article is to present the English-speaking audience with a brief overview of the work carried out in spiritual theology from before and after the Second Vatican Council. In a later article – space constraints prohibit- ing its inclusion here – I hope to demonstrate how current developments in the ‘spirituality’ of the English-speaking world are not so very different from those being made in the ‘spiritual theology’ of the Latin-European world. I have divided the path to follow here into three moments: the pre-Conciliar period 1954-1965; the post-Conciliar period, with two stages, 1966-1979 and 1980-1989; and after the post-Conciliar period, which I also cover in two stages, 1990-1999 and 2000-2013. 1. THE PRE-CONCILIAR PERIOD – 1954-1965 In 1954, papers given at the First Week of Spirituality organized two years earlier by the Center of Spirituality Studies at the Pontifical University of Sala- manca were published.3 In the table of contents, the pieces are clearly divided into two areas: Christian Perfection in Itself and The Perfection of Various States and Conditions. An article by Jesús Olazarán looked at the characteristics of contemporary spirituality as life.4 That same year, Isidoro de San José published an article on the academic definition of ‘Spiritual Studies’ in the Revista de Espiritualidad.5 Three years La teologia spirituale oggi: Identità e missione, Bologna: Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna, 2012, 16-34. See also: Mysterion (www.mysterion.it) 5 (2012) no.2, 158-192. Originally published in Italian, this bibliographic review is presented here with some changes. 3 Luis Sala Balust (Ed.), Sobre la perfección cristiana (papers given at the First Week of Spiritu- ality, held 21-26 April 1952, organized by the Center for the Study of Spirituality at the Pontifical University of Salamanca), Barcelona: Juan Flors, 1954. 4 Jesús Olazarán, ‘Características de la Espiritualidad contemporánea’, in: Sobre la perfección cristiana, 209-260. 5 Isidoro de San José, ‘Hacia una definición científica adecuada de la ciencia espiritual’, in: Revista de Espiritualidad 13 (1954), 329-345. 98401.indb 2 1/12/15 15:01 LATIN-EUROPEAN SCHOLARSHIP IN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY 3 later, in 1957, Teófilo Urdánoz published an article on the status of studies in spiritual theology.6 Two important texts were published in 1960: Amato Dagnino’s La vita interiore secondo la Rivelazione, studiata dalla Teologia e insegnata dalla Chiesa7 and Louis Bouyer’s Introduction to the Spiritual Life.8 Felipe García Llamera’s article on spiritual theology as an academic discipline9 also appeared that year. The following year, 1961, Gustavo Vinay, in an article examining the word ‘spirituality’,10 initiated a debate with Jean Leclercq, whose reply11 clarified the historic development of the word. This period can be identified as the moment when scholars began to take an interest in what would become the major devel- opments in the discipline before and after the Council. Giovanni Moioli published one of his first articles in 1963.12 Two years later, in 1965, a lengthy edition of the Rivista di Ascetica e Mistica introduced spiritual theology for study and teaching.13 It revealed a Thomist tone to the discipline, presenting articles by: Innocenzo Colosio ‘Le caratteristiche positive e negative della Spiritualità odierna’ (311-362); Fabio Giardini, ‘La natura della teologia spirituale’ (363-415); Luigi Bono, ‘La Sacra Scrittura come fonte di Teologia Spirituale’ (417-442); Giovanni Colombo, ‘La storia della Spiri- tualità e le scuole di Spiritualità’ (443-462); and Raimondo Spiazzi, ‘Il Metodo della Teologia Spirituale e i suoi rapporti con la Teologia Pastorale’ (463-476). Innocenzo Colosio also contributed: ‘Come insegnare la Teologia Spirituale’ (477-491); ‘Suggerimenti metodologici per ricerche storiche nel campo della Spiritualità’ (492-508); and the final piece, ‘Il ‘problemismo spirituale’ come grave insidia alla vita interiore’ (509-531). 6 Teófilo Urdánoz, ‘Estados actuales de los estudios de teología espiritual: Teología dogmática y teología espiritual’, in: Estado actual de los estudios de teología espiritual (papers given at the First Conference on Spirituality at the Pontifical University of Salamanca), Barcelona: Juan Flors, 1957, 137-186. 7 Amato Dagnino, La vita interiore secondo la rivelazione, studiata dalla teologia e insegnata dalla Chiesa, Milan: Paoline, 1960. From its fourth edition in 1968, the title becomes: La vita cristiana o il mistero pasquale del Cristo mistico secondo la rivelazione, studiata dalla teologia e insegnata dalla Chiesa. 8 Louis Bouyer, Introduction à la vie spirituelle: Précis de théologie ascétique et mystique, Paris: Desclée, 1960. Translated by Mary Perkins Ryan as Introduction to the spiritual life, New York: Desclee Co., 1961. 9 Felipe García Llamera, ‘La teología espiritual como ciencia’, in: Teología Espiritual 4 (1960), 483-492. 10 Gustavo Vinay, ‘Spiritualità’, in: Studi Medievali 2 (1961), 705-709. 11 Jean Leclercq, ‘Spiritualitas’, in: Studi Medievali 3 (1962), 279-296. 12 Giovanni Moioli, ‘La vita cristiana come oggetto della teologia spirituale’, in: Scuola Cattolica 91 (1963), 101-116. 13 ‘Saggi introduttivi allo studio ed all’insegnamento della teologia spirituale’, in: Rivista di Ascetica e Mistica 10 (1965) nos 4-5. 98401.indb 3 1/12/15 15:01 4 ROSSANO ZAS FRIZ DE COL 2. THE POST-CONCILIAR PERIOD (1966-1989) The post-Conciliar Period for spiritual theology as a discipline can be divided into two parts. The first period lasting from immediately after the Council fin- ished up to the publication of Antonio Queralt’s article on spirituality as a theo- logical discipline14 in 1979. The beginning of the second post-Conciliar period, in 1980, starts with Augusto Guerra’s article on spiritual theology as an aca- demic discipline that had not been identified at the time.15 Its end can be marked by the publication of Sandra Schneiders’s article, ‘Spirituality in the Academy’.16 During these years many studies appeared in support of a proper identify for spiritual theology and the life of the Church was distinguished, dur- ing the second half of the period, by the beginning of John Paul II’s pontificate. 2.1 The Early Post-Conciliar Period – 1966-1979 The year following the Council’s conclusion, 1966, saw the inauguration of the bibliographic service Bibliographia Internationalis Spiritualitatis from the Dis- calced Carmelite Fathers of Rome’s Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum and the first edition of the international journal Concilium, which has dedicated a volume to spirituality every year since. The first steps towards a foundational and methodological development of the discipline were taken during the second half of the 70’s. An article by Roberto Moretti, significantly entitled ‘Tempi maturi per un insegnamento scientifico della teologia spirituale’ (The Time is Ripe for an Academic Approach to Spiritual Theology),17 reflected the attitude then emerging among scholars.